CANADIAN REPORT During its heyday in the first half of the 20th century, Britannia Mine on Canada’s Pacific Ocean shore was the largest-producing copper mine in the British Empire. After mining operations ceased in 1974, the property became better known for another record—as one of the biggest point-sources of metal pollution in North America.

Much of this contamination came from the 180 million cubic feet of water that flows through the mine each year. Before the recent installation of treatment systems, an average of almost 700 pounds per day of copper and a similar amount of zinc flowed into Howe Sound, a fjord-like arm of the Pacific. Mine-waste dumps containing metals added to the contamination of surface and groundwater flowing into Howe Sound. ...

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